We continue to get to know the heroes of the past IEK Electricians Championship better. This time, we talked about choosing a profession, career after the competition, and plans with Ilya Chuprikov, a
— What's it like to win the Electricians Championship at 20?
— For me, it's prestigious, now I feel like a more in-demand specialist.
— We have photos of you going on stage for the prize. It's clear that emotions are off the charts. What did you feel then?
— Probably joy and delight, because I didn't expect to win. The competition was serious both among experienced electricians and among students.
— How would you assess the level of preparation of your competitors at the Electricians Championship?
— Most participants are practicing electricians. It was harder for them than for me because I trained on competition stands, meaning I knew in what order to lay out the tools. Colleagues are used to working on large sites, where the workplace is organized differently. On the other hand, experience helped them. They could, for example, improve the circuit.
For peers from colleges, it was easier thanks to training. But everyone still performed tasks in their own way. Take, for example, connecting limit switches. I watched how others do it. Their method seemed inconvenient to me. And this affects both quality and speed.
Prize-winners of the Electricians Championship-2024: Vlad Gusev, Ilya Chuprikov, and Eldar Khaliullin.
— After the IEK Electricians Championship, you were invited to a job. Did participation in the competition play any role in your employment?
— Currently, I work in a private company servicing fire and security alarm systems. The employer learned about my participation in professional championships after I had already been hired.
Ilya Chuprikov previously took third place at the International High-Tech Professions Championship "Hi-Tech-2023" and first place in the "Electrician" competence at the All-Russian Championship "Best in Profession" among students and professionals of housing and communal services enterprises in Moscow and the Moscow region.
— Tell us more about your tasks. Are they similar to those at the Championship?
— There is electrical installation in my work, but mostly it's maintenance. Mainly, I deal with re-soldering modules — somewhat reminiscent of the fault-finding task, but these are already small modules, not a large panel. Although there are still the same faults in the line itself, breaks, etc.
— Why did you choose the profession of an electrician?
— I wanted to connect my life with electricity, but initially I was going to become an auto electrician. While choosing a college, I heard the opinion that an electrician will always be in demand. Even if you stick an ad on a pole "I'll hang a chandelier," some work will already be there.
A teacher at an open day helped me finally decide. He advised me to apply for electrician and told me about the training. I liked this more than working with cars.
— How has your attitude towards the profession changed after winning the Electricians Championship?
— After communicating with more experienced colleagues at the Championship, I became convinced that electrical installers are really needed and that good work is paid accordingly.
Preparation for competitions also had a positive impact. While training, I learned a lot that we weren't taught. This helps me successfully cope with work tasks.
— What are your career plans?
— Currently, I am studying by correspondence at Moscow Power Engineering Institute (MPEI) in the "Energy" field, specialization "Industrial Lines". In the future, my work will be related to robotic productions. I believe this is the profession of the future because process automation is happening everywhere, demand for smart homes, offices, factories, even smart cities is growing.
At the Electricians Championship-2024: Ilya Chuprikov and M.Ya. Pogrebissky, director of the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering and Electromechanics at National Research University "MPEI".
— What challenges do young specialists face?
— Finding yourself in life, understanding that the chosen profession is needed for you, setting priorities between income and working in your specialty.
At the start of a career, college graduates have the temptation to get a job, for example, as a cashier in a supermarket, rather than as an electrician. It seems that the salary is higher there and the workload is less.
In our profession, it is important to develop, obtain the necessary qualification grade, and then, already in the process of gaining new experience and knowledge, income will grow as well.
— What qualities and competencies are necessary for a modern electrical installer to be in demand and highly paid?
— Among qualities, I would note tidiness and concentration.
If a person did the work and didn't clean up after themselves at the site, then new projects and recommendations can't be expected. Order at the workplace was one of the evaluation criteria at the VII IEK Open Electricians Championship.
Concentration is necessary to delve into some extensive concept. To truly concentrate, not just skim through the text. This is especially important when working with electrical installation rules (PUE) and GOST standards.
The ability to learn, including independently, I consider one of the main competencies. In college, the taught material was not enough for me, so I additionally studied regulatory literature, watched educational videos. For example, we weren't taught to work with controllers, frequency converters, but without this knowledge it's harder to get the desired job.
— In your opinion, what can be done to make the profession of electrical installer more attractive to young people?
— Continue to popularize with the help of various championships. The competitive aspect positively affects motivation. I myself plan to participate in professional competitions in the future. This is interesting to me also from the point of view of communicating with colleagues.
— Thank you for the interesting conversation. Good luck at the competitions!